RECOMMENDATIONS FOR TRAVELLING TO/FROM AND STAYING IN

The RAINGAIN project International Workshop on Urban Pluvial Flood Modelling on 6th October and consortium meeting (for project partners only) on 7th October are to be held in the Met Office headquarters, Fitzroy Road, Exeter EX1 3PB, UK. Below is some useful information for those travelling to and staying in Exeter for either or both those meetings.

For hotel accommodation for Exeter we recommend

Holiday Inn Express (http://www.expressexeter.co.uk/) Premier Inn (http://www.premierinn.com/en/hotel/EXEHON/exeter-m5-j29)

Both are within a few minutes walking distance of the Met Office building where the RainGain events are being held on 6th and 7th October 2014. As these 2 hotels are cheaper than the city centre alternatives they cannot be block booked, and we recommend booking as early as possible.

Alternative hotels in the city centre are below.

Jury’s Inn (http://www.jurysinns.com/hotels/exeter) Abode (http://www.abodeexeter.co.uk/) Southgate (http://www.mercure.com/gb/hotel-6624-mercure-exeter-southgate-hotel/index.shtml) Thistle (http://www.thistle.com/hotels/united_kingdom/exeter/thistle_exeter_city_centre/index.html)

Further options are described via the Met Office web page Accommodation in Exeter

Travelling to Met Office HQ

Transport Direct's Journey Planner can help you plan your trip to the Met Office in Exeter.

Exeter directions guide (PDF, 265 kB)

By rail (from other UK cities) A typical journey from London to Exeter takes around 2 hours 15 minutes, and from the Midlands around 2 hours 30 minutes. Frequent direct services operate from Paddington and Waterloo stations in London to Exeter St Davids and Exeter Central. These stations are approximately 6 km (4 miles) away from the Met Office. See By Bus section for bus connections from these train stations to the Met Office. Taxis are also available from these stations; typical journey time is 15-30 minutes, depending on traffic.

The stations closest to the Met Office site are station to the north and Digby and Sowton station to the south. Note: these stations are not serviced as frequently as Exeter St Davids.

Pinhoe can be reached from London Waterloo from the east or Exeter St Davids from the west and south. It is possible to travel direct to Digby and Sowton without changing trains from stations on the Paignton line.

National Rail Enquiries .

By bus and coach

From Exeter city centre The Park and Ride service (PR2/M2) provides a regular, quick route from Exeter city centre every 12 minutes, and stops at the Honiton Road Park and Ride stop, from which it is a 10-minute walk to the Met Office. This service departs from Paris Street (stop 17), or Sidwell Street (stop 19). Journey time approximately 20 minutes.

Service B operates every half hour and passes Pinhoe railway station. On the journey from the city centre you need to alight at Honiton Road Park and Ride stop, from which it is a 10-minute walk to the Met Office. However, on the return journey the service passes through the Met Office site. This service departs from the High Street (stop 3) and Sidwell Street (stop 19). Journey time approximately 26 minutes.

Service 56 operates approximately hourly from the bus station in Paris Street. Journey time approximately 26 minutes.

From Exeter St Davids railway station The 56 operates approximately hourly and passes through the Met Office site, and continues on to Exeter Airport. Journey time to Met Office approximately 26 minutes.

Timetables, plus maps of bus routes and Exeter city centre bus stops, are available from Stagecoach.

Stagecoach

First and Cornwall National Express Coaches

By air Most international flights arrive at London Heathrow (180 miles from Exeter); however, there are several flights daily from Paris and Amsterdam to Bristol Airport (66 miles from Exeter). New flight routes to Exeter Airport (two miles from the Met Office) are regularly introduced. Flybe flies direct from Exeter Airport to Paris Charles De Gaulle Airport and Amsterdam.

From Exeter Airport Number 56 bus runs between the airport and the Met Office approx every hour. Taxis are available at the airport. Journey time approximately 10 minutes.

From Bristol Airport Take the bus from Bristol Airport to Bristol Temple Meads railway station. The bus runs every 20 minutes and the journey takes about 25 minutes. Full timetable available at the Bristol Airport website. There are regular trains to Exeter from Bristol Temple Meads station (about one per hour). Train journey takes about an hour.

From Heathrow Airport The Heathrow Express train departs Heathrow Airport for London Paddington rail station every 15 minutes. Journey time is between 15 and 23 minutes. A typical journey from Paddington to Exeter St Davids takes as little as 2 hours 15 minutes.

An alternative is to get the Railair coach service to Reading, where all the trains between London Paddington and Exeter stop. The service operates every 20 minutes and the journey time is between 40 minutes and 1 hour.

There are about 12 National Express coaches a day between Heathrow Airport and Exeter bus station. The journey time is 3.5 to 4 hours.

From Gatwick Airport Take the train from Gatwick Airport to Reading. This train runs hourly and takes about 75 minutes. From Reading there is a frequent service to Exeter St Davids (journey time about two hours).